William E. Bivin

William Eugene “Bill” Bivin was born to Mr. and Mrs. Carl Bivin in Paducah, Kentucky. After serving in the Army from 1948-50, William earned his bachelor’s degree from WKU in 1953. That same year, he was commissioned in the Air Force Reserve at the University of Kentucky. As a law student, he attributed much of his success as an honor student to his active participation in debate at WKU.

Between WKU and law school, he completed additional graduate work at the University of Alabama. He then attended University of Kentucky College of Law, where he graduated in 1957, and University of Tennessee. William became an assistant professor of law at the University of Kentucky College of Law. He later served in the state government as a legislative research analyst, assistant attorney general, and executive assistant to Lieutenant Governor Wilson Wyatt (1960-62). He was chief administrative assistant to Governor Edward T. Breathitt (1963-64) and was commissioner of the Department of Insurance (1964-66). He returned to the Hill in 1969, to become a respected and highly accomplished attorney who effectively served WKU as a member of the faculty in Legal Area Studies and as University Attorney.

He was a member of the Kentucky and American Bar Associations, the American Judicature Society, the American Society of Public Administration, the Federation of Insurance Counsel, and the Kentucky Historical Society. He was also a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge. He was married to Alice Bivin, until his sudden passing in 1987. They had four children.

To honor the many contributions he made to WKU, family, friends, and colleagues established the William E. Bivin Scholarship Fund in 1987. The fund assists WKU students who are members of the debate team, studying within the Forensics Program, and are in good academic standing, as well as hold an outstanding debate record. Through this fund, William’s legacy at WKU and beyond continues in perpetuity.